INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF WOMEN

EQUAL RIGHTS – EQUAL RESPONSIBILITIES

CONSTITUTION

(REVISED 201…..)

CHAPTER 1
THE NATURE OF THE ALLIANCE

Article I NAME, STATUS

  1. THE NAME OF THE FEDERATION is “International Alliance of Women: Equal Rights – Equal Responsibilities”, hereafter “ IAW”
    The Alliance has its seat in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland
  2. IAW is a non-profit, non-governmental organization. It is independent of any political or religious party or movement.
  3. IAW is governed by this constitution and by art. 60 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code

Article II The vision of IAW:

IAW envisions a world, in which women and men enjoy real equality of liberties, status and opportunities and cooperate in equal partnership in all spheres of life.

Article III
1 The mission of IAW is

to promote the human rights and the empowerment of women in all spheres of life

to ensure that the status of every individual without distinction on grounds of sex, sexual orientation, age, race, religious or political persuasion or any other ground shall be based on respect for the person

to promote social justice and

to work for good understanding among peoples

2. IAW works towards the realization of this mission by means of

Implementation of its current Action Programme

Representation and lobbying at international and regional organizations

 Statements and petitions to governments, international or regional bodies

International cooperation

Meetings

Bringing the vision and mission of IAW to public notice

3. IAW shall:

Observe strict neutrality on all other issues that are national or that concern relations between governments

Favour no political party or religion

Respect the autonomy of each member organization

CHAPTER 2

MEMBERSHIP, FEES, COMMUNICATIONS

ARTICLE IV Membership

  1. Membership of IAW consists of:
  2. Affiliate organizations
  3. Associate organizations
  4. Individual members

2.Qualification for Membership:

a)An organization shall be eligible for Affiliate Membership if:

i)It is a national organization which has local branches or admits its members from all over the country,

ii)It is an organization not attached to any political or religious body, and

iii)Among its objectives are those which correspond with the Vision and Mission as stated in Articles II and III of this Constitution

b)An organization shall be eligible for Associate Membership if:

i)It is an organization not attached to any political or religious body, and

ii)Among its objectives are those which correspond with the Vision and Mission in Articles II and III of this Constitution.

c)Any person subscribing to the Vision and Mission of IAW shall be qualified for individual membership. Board Members, international representatives and commission conveners must become individual members upon election or appointment.

3.Admission to Membership:

When an organization wishes to be affiliated or associated with IAW, it shall apply for admission to the Admissions Committee, which shall decide on the basis of section 2 a) and b) whether it fulfills the conditions of membership.

The Committee shall inform any affiliate member in the same country of its decision and give it the opportunity to present its views about such admission before accepting the organization for provisional affiliation or association.

Provisional admission is subject to ratification by the next Congress.

Individual Members shall be admitted upon payment of the annual membership fee.

4.Loss of Membership:

In addition to the provision of article V 1.(b) a member organization will be expelled when it no longer fulfills the requirements for eligibility, or when it acts against the Vision and Mission of IAW. The decision to expel is made by Congress on the recommendation of the Board.

ARTICLE V Membership fees and rights of members

1.Fees:

a)The membership fees due from affiliates and associates and from individual

members shall be decided at each Triennial Congress.

b)Membership fees shall be due from the year of provisional admission of an organization.

An affiliate or associate organization or an individual lose their membership of the IAW if they are three years in arrears of the annual fee, provided that two formal requests for payment have been made.

c)The Executive Committee has the authority to reduce or waive the fee, if, after consideration of a formal application by any member society pleading circumstances of special difficulty, it determines that such a reduction or waiver is justified.

2. Rights

  1. All member societies and individual members are entitled to be informed of the work of IAW. This information may be given in different formats.
  2. All members of member societies and all individual members are eligible to hold office in IAW in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution
  3. Member organizations and office holders have an exclusive right to use the IAW logo.

ARTICLE VI MEDIA

  1. IAW shall publish a journal. All members shall receive it and may contribute to it. Individuals and institutions, who are not members of IAW, may subscribe to the journal as well as to other IAW publications.
    The board shall appoint editors of the journal and other IAW media as in article V 2a

CHAPTER 3

STRUCTURE OF IAW

ARTICLE VII CONGRESS

1.Congress is the governing body of IAW. In order for it to exercise its authority, at least one third of the member organizations must be represented at Congress.

2.IAW shall hold Triennial Congresses called by the Board. The Board shall have the power to change the length of time between Congresses for an urgent and serious reason. The interval between Congresses shall not be more than four years nor less than two years.

3.Additional Congresses shall be held whenever called by the Board. The Board shall convene a Congress if requested to do so by at least one-third of Affiliate Societies or the International Meeting.

4.Congress is comprised of delegations of member organizations, members of the Board of IAW, individual members and all individuals appointed by the Board under Article X.

5.If six weeks before Congress the registration does not comprise one third of the member organizations, a repeated call to congress shall be sent. If attendance falls short of the number required under section 1 of this article after the second call, Congress shall be empowered to attend to all business.

ARTICLE VIII Board

1. IAW shall have a Board in which is vested all executive power. The Board consists of:

a)The President, the Secretary General, the Treasurer and a maximum of 20 other members from at least twelve countries, ensuring an equitable geographical distribution. They shall be elected at Congress according to article XVIII and shall hold office for the next Triennium.
An elected member of the Board may stand for re-election, but may not serve more than two consecutive trienniums. She may stand for election to the Board again after an interval of one or more Trienniums.

A candidate for the presidency must have been a member of the board prior to standing for election as President. If she is a member of the Board immediately prior to this election she may be re-elected as president for a second consecutive triennium.
A Secretary General or Treasurer who has reached the end of her term on the Board after one triennium in her office may stand for a second consecutive triennium.
In the case of a longer or shorter period between two Congresses, according to Article VII 2, this period shall be considered a Triennium.

b)Conveners of Commissions according to Article IX.

2.a)An elected Board Member who is prevented from attending a Board Meeting has the right to appoint a proxy provided that such proxy has active knowledge of the work of IAW, and that the member has fully instructed her in the business of the meeting.

b)A Commission Convener who is prevented from attending a Board Meeting has the right to appoint a member of her Commission as a proxy.

3.Voting at Board Meetings is restricted to:

a)Board members as defined in section 1 above or their proxies

b)The immediate Past President for the first Triennium after leaving office.

4.Past Presidents who have served one full term of office shall become Honorary Presidents.

5.The Honorary Presidents, the Honorary Vice Presidents, the representatives of the IAW to the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies and to regional intergovernmental organizations, as well as the conveners of committees, editors and auxiliary officers appointed by the Board are entitled to attend Board Meetings and International Meetings in an advisory capacity.
These together with the board members are referred to as the Extended Board.

6.After each Triennial Congress the newly elected Board Members shall elect from amongst themselves two Executive Vice-Presidents to serve on the Executive Committee and Regional Vice-Presidents to coordinate the activities of IAW in their respective regions.

7.The Board may fill any vacancy caused by the death or resignation of the Secretary General or the Treasurer preferably from amongst its members in the interim between Congresses. If the President is unable to continue in active office, the most senior Executive Vice-President, if willing, shall be appointed for the remainder of the Triennium. If none of the Vice-Presidents are willing, the Board may appoint one of its other members.

8.The quorum for a Board Meeting is the simple majority of its members, or their proxies as in section 2 of this Article. A quorum may be achieved if absent Board Members are sufficiently involved in the business of the meeting, as described in a by-law.

9.The Board shall meet immediately before and after Congress and at least once between Triennial Congresses, being summoned for the purpose by the President. The President shall convene an additional Board meeting at the request of five members of the Board.

10.The term of the Board expires at the end of the last session of the Triennial Congress and the term of the newly constituted Board commences immediately thereafter.

ARTICLE IX Commission Conveners

The Board shall, if it is deemed necessary to facilitate the work of IAW, establish Commissions for fields of policy and appoint their Conveners. Commission Conveners may be re-appointed provided they have stated in writing that they are prepared to serve another term and have given a satisfactory report to Congress. It shall be the duty of the Convener to secure adequate membership of her Commission from amongst the members of IAW.

ARTICLE X Other Board appointments

The post-Congress Board shall appoint:

a)An Admissions Committee for the triennial period, which shall consist of three members of the Executive Committee.

b)The permanent Representatives of IAW to the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies and Representatives to Regional Intergovernmental organizations, which admit representation of non-governmental organizations. Representatives may be re-appointed provided they have stated in writing that they are prepared to serve another term and have given a satisfactory report to Congress.

c)Representatives to non-governmental organizations to which IAW may belong, or to sister organizations.

d)A Constitution Committee to advise the Board on the conformity of decisions with the Constitution and by-laws and on desirable changes thereto.

e)The Financial Advisory Committee.

The pre-Congress Board shall appoint:

a)An Elections Committee in accordance with Article XVIII.1 hereafter.

b)A Resolutions Committee in accordance with the by-laws.

The Board shall appoint:

a)The editors of the journal and other communications media

b)A membership secretary

c)Substitutes for any vacant functions as described in this Article and in Articles VIII and IX.

d)An auditor in accordance with Article XIV hereafter.

The Board may appoint auxiliary officers to help carry out the work of the Board.

The Board may institute ad hoc Committees for other fields of the internal work of IAW as deemed necessary and appoint their Conveners and members.

The Board shall establish job descriptions for the various tasks.

ARTICLE XI Executive Committee and Headquarters

1.The President, two Executive Vice-Presidents, the Secretary General and the Treasurer constitute the Executive Committee.

2.Between Board Meetings the Executive Committee is empowered to take decisions on behalf of IAW. These decisions shall be communicated to the Board immediately.

3.The Secretary General functions as officer in charge of Headquarters.

4.The authority to sign documents on behalf of IAW shall be specified in the by-laws.

5.The President represents IAW in and outside of Court.

6.If the President is temporarily unable to function the Executive Committee appoints an Executive Vice-President as Acting President as necessary.

ARTICLE XII The International Meeting

The presidents of the member organizations and the (extended) Board constitute the International Meeting. They convene once in between Congresses on the occasion of a Board Meeting.

A President who cannot come may send a proxy.

The International Meeting determines the theme and the outline of the next Triennial Congress.

CHAPTER 4
FINANCE

ARTICLE XIII Financial means

The financial means of IAW consist of:

Membership fees and subscriptions

Donations

Legacies

All such funds as are acquired legally

ARTICLE XIV Financial organization

1.The fiscal year of IAW runs from 1st January to 31st December.

2The Treasurer shall submit to each Triennial Congress the accounts of IAW together with the Auditor’s report for the Triennium preceding the Congress.

3.The Treasurer shall submit to each Triennial Congress a budget and a proposal for the membership and subscription fees for the coming triennium.

4.At each Board Meeting the Treasurer shall present an audited report on the state of the finances of the IAW for the fiscal years since the last Triennial Congress and for the period of 1st January of that year to the end of the previous quarter.

5.The Executive appoints an auditor

6.The Board appoints a Financial Advisory Committee whose duties are set out in the by-laws.

7.Authority to approve and make payments is given to the President, the Treasurer and one Executive Vice-President, as specified in the by-laws.

CHAPTER 5

RULES FOR CONGRESS

ARTICLE XV Agenda of Congress

With due observance of Article VII 1. the Triennial Congress shall at least deal with:

•election of President, Secretary General and Treasurer

•election of other Board members

•consideration and approval of the executive report of the President

•consideration and approval of the accounts of the IAW for the preceding Triennium

•discharge of the Treasurer for the previous Triennium

•decision on the membership and subscription fees for the next Triennium

•approval of the budget for the next Triennium

•decision on the Action Programme for the next Triennium

•consideration of the reports of Commissions, Representatives and Member Organizations

•resolutions placed before the Congress

•the admission of new affiliate and associate societies

•the institution of an appeals committee regarding admission and expulsion of member societies

•acknowledgement of any by-laws made by the Board since the last Congress

The Congress program may include public meetings relative to the work of IAW.

ARTICLE XVI Representation at Congress

1.A member organization shall be entitled to be represented at Congress by not more than ten delegates and ten alternate delegates.

Individual Members are entitled to full participation in Congress.

2.Members of member organizations, who are not delegates, shall be entitled to attend all meetings of Congress, as non-voting participants.

3.It is the prerogative of the President or the Executive Committee to invite to the relevant meetings of Congress representatives of organizations and individuals involved in work for equality as non-voting participants.

ARTICLE XVII The right to speak and vote at Congress

1.Members of the Board and delegates (or in their absence, their alternates) from member organizations, as well as Individual Members are entitled to speak and vote at Congress.

Members appointed by the Board under Article X, who are not delegates, have the right to speak and vote on their portfolio.

2.The representatives of any organization and Individual Members whose fees up to and including the year of the Congress are unpaid shall not be entitled to vote at Congress until such fees are paid. Newly admitted organizations must pay their dues from the year of provisional admission up to and including the year of the Congress before they can vote.

3. Distribution of Votes

a)The delegation of an Affiliate shall be entitled to a block of ten votes (irrespective of the number of delegates present at Congress).

b)The delegation of an Associate shall be entitled to a block of five votes.

c)Each individual member is entitled to one vote.

4.Where an Individual Member also attends Congress in the capacity of a Delegate, her right to vote as an Individual Member shall not be affected.

5.Non-voting participants as mentioned in Article XVI. 3 and 4 shall have the right to speak if called upon by the Chair.

ARTICLE XVIII Elections

1.The Elections Committee is responsible for the organization of elections. The Committee consists of five members who are not members of the Board or candidates and belong to five different countries. The Executive Committee shall immediately appoint a successor for any Member of the Elections Committee who is nominated for election to the Board during Congress. The Elections Committee shall elect its own Convener at its first meeting.

Nominations of candidates for election either to the offices of President, Secretary General and Treasurer or to the Board must be received by the Convener of the Elections Committee no later than two days before the election. Each nomination must be accompanied by a relevant curriculum vitae. Nominations shall be made by a member organization, ten Individual Members, or a group of ten delegates present at Congress.

All nominations shall be made on a prescribed form, signed by the candidate and by the person responsible for the nomination.

No nomination can be accepted from a organization whose dues are not paid up to and including the year of Congress.

  1. Before the ballot:

a)the Elections Committee shall present a report of the nomination procedure and make the curricula vitae of the candidates available to Congress.

b)Candidates shall have the opportunity to present themselves to Congress.

  1. The election to the offices of President, Secretary General and Treasurer shall be by ballot. The candidate who receives the greatest number of votes shall be considered elected provided the votes given to her exceed one half plus one of all the votes cast at the election. If none of the candidates receives an absolute majority of the votes cast, a second ballot shall be taken on the two candidates who have received the highest number of votes. In the event of a tie the election shall be decided by lot.
  1. After the results of the election of President, Secretary General and Treasurer have been announced, the election of the Board Members shall be conducted. To be elected each candidate must have an absolute majority of votes.
  2. A ballot shall be taken regardless of the number of candidates for each office or the Board. The list of candidates shall be in alphabetical order, beginning with a letter decided by lot.

ARTICLE XIX Amendment of the Constitution